Factoid 28 - 1869: The Inaugural Season

1869 saw the first college season and its first two college football games.

On November 6, 1869, Rutgers played Princeton in the first official football game in United States college history. The Rutgers Queensmen, as Rutgers was called back then, defeated Princeton 6 to 4. The two same teams played again on November 13, 1869 with Princeton winning 8 to 0. Both victories went to the home team, forever establishing the home field advantage paradigm.

The game itself was quite different from the one we recognize today: 25 men on each side, no running of the ball, and the ball was perfectly spherical. My, how times have changed!

(For further reading on the first collegiate game, go to this link: http://www.scarletknights.com/football/history/first-game.asp)